Category: Recipes

This dish is a family favorite at our house! It’s good year round with canned green beans, but fresh from the garden ingredients make it an extra special treat. Adjust the amount of ingredients and spice to your family’s tastes and feel free to throw in extra veggies like peas or chopped tomatoes.

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Shepherd's Garden Fresh Pie

Ingredients

2TbsOlive Oil

1smallYellow OnionDiced

3clovesGarlicMinced

1lbGround Beef

2cupsGreen BeansEnds snipped, cut to about 1 inch pieces. Blanch in boiling water for a few minutes if you don't want them a little firm in the finished dish.

2-3CarrotsPeeled and chopped

16ozTomato Sauce

2TbsTomato Paste

4cupsMashed PotatoesFrom scratch or from the box (no judgement)

1cupShredded CheeseCheddar or Colby Jack

3ozCrispy Fried OnionsOr however many are left in the can after you eat a few while cooking...

Instructions

Heat olive oil in large pot or pan with onion and garlic over medium-high heat for a few minutes.

You could make this salad/dip year round and you could used canned corn. However, when it is made fresh, when the ingredients are at their peak, in the middle of summer, this salad is incredible! Adjust the ingredients to your family’s tastes. I’m a wimp when it comes to heat, so I use a little less jalapeño and try to find sweet peppers. I’m not ashamed to admit, this has been our entire meal – more than once!

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Summer in a Bowl

Ingredients

2tomatoesdiced

½red onionfinely diced

1clovegarlicfinely diced

1jalapeñofinely diced, seeds removed

1green, red, or yellow pepperdiced

3ears cooked sweet cornboiled or grilled then cut off the cob

1Tbscilantrofinely chopped

1avocadodiced

1can black beansdrained and rinsed

1limeall the juice

salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

Squeeze half of the lime on the diced avocado.

Mix all ingredients in large bowl and squeeze the other half of lime over everything. Add salt and pepper to taste.

This is a tasty, fresh, and quick summer side dish. Adjust the amount of dressing, based on how your family likes it. When you use fresh broccoli, this slaw can’t be beat! The last time I made this, I used plain greek yogurt (because the amount of yogurt options at the grocery store was overwhelming). It made a nice thick and tangy dressing. I like Fuji or Gala apples in this too.

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Creamy Broccoli Slaw

Ingredients

½cupplain yogurt

¼cupmayonnaise

1Tbsapple cider vinegar

1smallshallotfinely chopped

3cupsbroccolichopped

½applechopped

¼cupdried cranberries

2Tbstoasted pine nuts or walnuts

Instructions

In a large bowl, stir together the yogurt, mayo, vinegar, shallot, and salt & pepper (to taste).

These biscuits have a unique, mild garlic flavor and pair well with soup or salad. If you are lucky enough to get your hands on some garlic scapes, you will feel like a culinary rock star if you whip up some of these!

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Garlic Scape Biscuits

Ingredients

2cupsflour

1Tbsbaking powder

1/2tspbaking soda

1/2tspsalt

1Tbssugar

1/2cupunsalted buttercold

1egglightly beaten

1/2cupbuttermilk

3/4cupcheddar cheeseshredded

1/4cupgarlic scapeminced

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400˚. Mix dry ingredients together.

Cut butter into chunks and blend into dry ingredients (with fingers) until mixture resembles cornmeal. Stir in cheese and scapes.

This salad is a delicious way to enjoy some nutritional powerhouses! It is sweet and earthy. I love anything that combines fruit, nuts, and cheese so this salad is one of my favorites!

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Super Salad

Ingredients

3 or 4largebeetsscrubbed and trimmed

1/3cupwalnutschopped

1Tbsbutter

2Tbshoney

1bunchspinachabout 10 oz

1/2cupfrozen orange juice concentrate

1/4cupbalsamic vinegar

1/2cupextra-virgin olive oil

2ouncesgoat cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400° F.

Wrap the beets in foil and roast in the oven until tender, about 1 hour. Open foil and let cool, then peel with paper towel and dice.

Heat butter over medium heat in a non-stick skillet. Mix in honey then add walnuts. Cook and stir for about 5 minutes until coated and toasted. Pour onto baking sheet (lined with foil or parchment) and spread with spatula to cool.

Wisk together orange juice concentrate, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil to make dressing.

Place spinach onto plates. Top with walnuts, beets, and dabs of goat cheese. Drizzle with dressing and enjoy!!

We LOVE caprese salad any time of year, but summer is the best! Serve as a side salad or with some crusty bread. Add some sliced cantaloupe melon wrapped in prosciutto and it is a perfect meal.

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Caprese Salad

Ingredients

2Tbsolive oil

2Tbsbalsamic vinegar

2clovesgarlicfinely minced

freshtomatoes (any size)sliced

freshMozzerella cheesesliced

freshbasilchopped

salt & pepper

Instructions

Mix olive oil, vinegar, and garlic in a small dish.

Try to use cheese that is similarly sized to your tomatoes. If you are using large tomatoes, alternate layers with slices of cheese. If you are using small tomatoes, slice the tomatoes in half and dice the cheese into smaller pieces.

Drizzle with the oil mixture and top with basil. Add a little salt & pepper and enjoy!

Try different proteins like steak or tofu and mix and match different veggies to personalize this yummy lo mein. Stock Concentrate is what all the cool kids are using instead of bouillon cubes. Hoisin sauce helps to create a thick, sweet, and salty sauce. If you don’t have hoisin sauce on hand, here’s a link to make your own: Hoisin Sauce

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My Main Lo Mein

Ingredients

1Tbsvegetable oil

12ozchicken breast or tenderssliced into strips

4ozcarrotshredded

6ozgreen beansends trimmed, cut into 1 inch pieces

4ozbutton mushroomsremove stems and slice

1Tbssoy sauce

1Tbsstock concentrateveggie

1Tbshoisin sauce

2tspsugar

1/4cupwater

1Tbsgingerfresh and grated

2scallionsthinly slice and separate greens and whites

2clovesgarlicminced

8ozudon noodlesroom temp

Instructions

Heat a little oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken to pan and season with salt and pepper. Cook until heated through (about 2 minutes per side). Remove from pan and set aside.

Heat a little more oil in the same pan and add carrots, green beans, and mushrooms. Toss and cook about 6 minutes.

While that is cooking, mix the following in a small bowl: soy sauce, stock concentrate, hoisin sauce, sugar, and water.

Add chicken, ginger, scallion whites, and garlic to pan with veggies. Cook for another 2 minutes.

Lower heat to medium and add sauce. Cook 2 minutes then add noodles and cook for another 4 minutes. Add a little salt and pepper. Garnish with a few scallion greens and enjoy!

I love a meal with easy cleanup! For even easier clean up, line the pan with foil. The flavors of the chicken, potatoes, beans and tomatoes all blend together in this tasty dish. You don’t even have to peel the potatoes or cut the tomatoes.

Preheat oven to 400°. To a baking pan and add potatoes and green beans, with ends removed. Drizzle veggies with olive oil, salt, and pepper and mix to coat.

Cook potatoes and beans for 25 minutes, then pull tray out and add 2 cups cherry tomatoes to the veggies and top with the chicken (discard the marinade) and roast in oven about 30 more minutes or until chicken is 165° and cooked through.

This flavorful meal hits all the food groups and only dirties one pot = win! Pasta is the best way I know to trick your family into eating kale. I use chicken sausage that has some peppers in it. Try it with spicy sausage if you like a little extra kick. The pine nuts aren’t 100% necessary but they are a very nice luxury topping, if you’re feeling special!

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Kale Sausage Pasta Bowl

Servings6or dinner tonight and lunch tomorrow

Ingredients

12ozuncooked farfalle(bow tie pasta)

1/4cupoil-packed sun-dried tomatoeschopped

1mediumyellow onionchopped

8-12ozsweet Italian style chicken sausagesliced into 1 inch pieces

4garlic clovesminced

14oz canlow-sodium chicken broth

1large bunchkalestems removed and roughly chopped

15oz cancannellini (white kidney) beansrinsed and drained

1/4cupParmesan cheeseshaved or grated

1/8cuppine nutstoasted

Instructions

Cook pasta according to package directions. Scoop out 1 cup of the cooking liquid and set aside before draining.

Heat a large Dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Add 1 Tbs of the oil that the tomatoes were packed in (or olive oil). Add tomatoes, onion, and sausage to pan. Cook and stir for 10 minutes.

We all love traditional green bean casserole, with the crunchy french fried onions on top, but this is a nice alternative if you are looking for something a little different. You could also make this in individual ramekins if you’re looking to really impress your guests!